Jeremy Strong & Michael Imperioli Stay in Character During Broadway Protest

Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli weren't gonna let a group of rowdy climate protesters ruin their Broadway play -- 'cause in the middle of an outburst ... they kept on acting!

A couple climate activists representing the group Extinction Rebellion NYC jumped up to warn about the dangers of climate change during a performance of "An Enemy of the People" Thursday night ... and in the middle of JS and MI's show, things got loud quickly.

The protesters were shouting about government failures and the dying planet -- but, they chose a time when the play called for some audience engagement ... and some in the crowd seemed to think it was part of the show initially.

You see, "An Enemy of the People" follows a man -- in this case, played by Strong -- who tells an inconvenient truth and is crucified by his town ... reality imitating art, no doubt.

You can even hear Strong in one of the videos saying to let the protesters continue ... clearly staying in character while Imperioli literally shoved the man up the stairs -- totally in line with his character who is hoping to sweep the truth under the rug.

Of course ... the audience ultimately realized the protest wasn't actually part of the show -- but in the moment, it looks like a lot of people believed it was all an act.

It's a pretty slick way to protest ... especially when compared to stunts other climate activists have pulled -- like the London protesters who disrupted Les Misérables or the dude who glued himself to the ground at the U.S. Open last summer.

Unclear what charges, if any, the protesters may face over this incident ... but it sounds like the show kept right on going. So ... no harm, no foul?